1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a gripping and pulling assembly used to strip adhesively mounted or otherwise fixedly secured carpeting from a floor surface incorporating a pulling harness attached to a gripping structure for engagement with a users body such that the user may exert as much pulling force as possible on the carpet being removed thereby eliminating the need for winches or other mechanical pulling devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In large industrial and commercial complexes, where carpet is used as a primary floor covering over generally very large floor areas, it is common to adhere or affix the under surface of the carpeting directly to the exposed surface of the floor. This is usually done by an adhesive or like material distributed substantially over the entire surface to be covered. This type of installation is considered necessary in high-traffic areas.
While effective for maintaining carpet for long periods of time, it has been realized that the removal of adhesively secured carpeting from floor surfaces is extremely difficult Removal is required due to replacement or repair. Prior art attempts to accomplish such removal are still extremely time consuming and manually very difficult. In removing adhesively secured carpets from floor surfaces, the prior art has primarily relied on equipment designed to remove a rubber-back carpeting normally secured to the floor surface by a multi-purpose adhesive which exhibits a bonding or holding strength much less than the extremely strong adhesive currently used to secure jute back carpets to flooring surfaces.
My existing U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,146 is directed to a stripper assembly for removing carpet which is directly adhered by adhesive and incorporating a gripping mechanism secured to the carpet and used in combination with an anchored, driving assembly in the form of a mechanical winch interconnected to the gripping structure and the carpeting being removed by a cable or like pulling device. Activation of the winch causes a pulling force to be exerted on the gripping structure and steadily pulls and thereby strips the carpet from the surface to which it was adhered. While applicable for its intended function, other applications involving the removal of carpeting from perhaps smaller areas or from homes frequently does not lend itself to the use of the mechanical winch and accompanying anchoring assembly as outlined in the above-noted patent.
Accordingly, there is a need for the removing of adhered carpeting from flooring surfaces in areas which because of the expense, size, etc. does not as readily lend itself to the use of mechanical equipment including powered winches to apply the pulling force to the carpeting being stripped.